The Canadian Association for Equality commends our Prime Minister on his compassion and his strong championing of female children in the developing world. At the same time, we ask that Mr. Trudeau extend this same compassion to male children.

There are examples of oppressive, gendered restriction on boys in Afghanistan. Many boys are used as sex slaves or sex workers, in a barbaric socially-sanctioned sex industry called “Bacha Bazi”. (Chopra, 2017) These boys are also in need of intervention for education and personal security. It is not commonly known, but the majority of sex workers in Afghanistan are underage boys. Due to restrictive gender rules on females, underage boys are often burdened with the responsibility to support their entire family. The boys often have no recourse but to resort to sex work.

Gender equality is not a zero sum game. We all benefit from an honest, evidence-based and comprehensive approach to gender-based public policy in international development.

We hope Mr. Trudeau will speak out against these abuses of boys on International Men’s Day, this Monday November 19th.

The Canadian Association for Equality is committed to achieving equality for all Canadians, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family status, race, ethnicity, creed, age or disability.